Grab-handle for railway-cars.



PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

S. M. CURWEN.

GRAB HANDLE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.17. 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented March '7, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL M. CURIVEN, OF I-IAVERFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN A.BRILL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GRAB-HANDLE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,519, dated March'7, 1905.

Original application filed September 6,1904, Serial No. 228,544. Dividedand this application filed December 17, 1904. Serial No. 237,224.

[ (LZZ who/1t it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. GURWEN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Haverford, Montgomery county, tate of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grab-Handles forRailway-Cars, of which the following is a specilicationi The presentapplication is a division of an application liled by me on the 6th dayof September, 190A, and serially numbered 223,54Eet.

In the class of cars known as open or summer cars, in which thepassengers enter and leave through the side of the car between theseats, numerous accidents occur by reason of the passenger facing thewrong direction.

It is the object of my invention to sodispose and operate thegrab-handle that its position will encourage the passenger to face inthe direction of the car when leaving by dis posing the handle in suchplace that he will only be able to use the one in front of him.

The details of construction and operation of my invention will behereinafter more fully explained.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the car post and seat, together with my improvedgrab-handle. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 lookingdownwardly.

But one car post and seat is shown, as it is understood that in theclass of car to which my invention is applied the passengers enter andleave between the stanchions and betweenthe car-seats, and as myinvention may be applied to any car of this class further illustrationis believed to be unnecessary.

By disposing the grab-handle of the car a short distance to the rear ofthe stanchion a passenger leaving from the aisle immediately behind suchstanchion is induced to grab that handle, especially as it will bealmost impossible to grab the handle on the stanchion at his rear, andby making the grab-handle to operate with the swing of the car-seat backthe position of the handle is reversed when the seats are turnedpreparatory to the returntrip.

In the drawings I have shown a car-stanchion 1, which may be of any ofthe desired forms, and a car-seat 2, which rests between the stanchionson each side of the car. Any suitable seat-back 3 is provided and iscarried by arms I, which are pivoted to the car-stanchion on a pin 5,which passes through the stanchion. At the outer end and preferably madeintegral with this pin 5 is an arm 6, which is adapted to move in unisonwith the seat, arm 4 being secured thereto. The grabhandle consists ofan upright rod 7 of proper length, and is provided with arms extendinglaterally from the stanchion. In the construction which I have used Ihave employed an upper arm 8, which is fulcrumed to a stud 9 in the postand also fulcrumed at the point 10 on the bar 7. Another arm, 11, islikewise fulcrumed below at the points 12 and 13. A central arm 6 issimilar to the arms 8 and 11 and is likewise fulerumed at the point 1%to the bar 7 the opposite end being connected to the pin 5, aspreviously described. A suitable rest 15 is attached to the stanchionbelow the arm 6, which forms a rest for the latter when it is in eitherone of the horizontal positions shown in the drawings. When the partsare in the position shown in the full lines of Fig. 1, the handle isadapted to be used from the side exit at the rear of the seat-back, andwhen the car reaches its destination or wherever it is desired to changeits direction the seat-back 3 is swung over on its arm 4:, and by reasonof its connection with the arm 6 causes all three arms 6, 8, and 11 tomove in a vertical are, as indicated in the drawings, until the rod 7 isbrought into the position shown in dotted lines, when both the seat andthe grab-handle are adapted to be used from the opposite direction.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A railway-car havingside posts or stanchions, side openings between the stanchions, agrab-handle comprising a vertical hand-rod fulcrumed to an arm, whicharm is fulcrumed to the stanchion, whereby said rod may swing on saidarm, and means for holding the said rod in predetermined positions inrelation to said stanchion.

2. A railway-car having side posts or stanohions, side openings betweenthe stanchions,

seats between said stanchions having a inovable back, a grab-handlefulcrumed to arms which are also fulcrumed to said stanchion, and meanswhereby the movement of said seatback will move said arms in a verticalarc to alter the position of said grab-handle in its relation to saidstanchion.

3. A railway-car having stanchions, side openings between thestanchions, a seat between said stanchions having a movable back carriedby an arm, a grab-handle fulcrumed to an arm which is connected with thearm of said back, whereby the arm of the grab-handle will be moved in aVertical arc thereby.

l. A railway-car having side posts or stan- SAML. M. OURWEN.

Witnesses:

W J. FERDINAND, H. A. HEULINGS.

